Falling Stars
by Ingram Solomon
Summary: It was nothing but a routine sweep of a long forgotten Albanian base, but none expected what was hidden deep beneath the Prokletije Mountains: "Steve?" Tony's voice was thick with trepidation. "Please tell me you're seeing this…" Steve breathed as he continued to stare into the mercury, sea glass eyes of the young woman in his arms. Steve Rogers/OC.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

It had all began with the death of one Christof Esterhazy. The senior officer of Hydra had recently suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in his lovely home in the Swiss Alps at the unbelievably ripe old age of 103. He had lived a long and fulfilling life off the grid, his family never knowing of his ties to the militant group of Nazi-fascists until he began to lose his mind in his old age. Shaky scribbles in the back of his worn journal revealed much that S.H.E.I.L.D. had already known about Hydra. But there was one partial sentence tucked in the middle of his mindless ramblings that they had not known. That they did not expect.

He had called it the 'Sterne des todes', or rather, The Star of Death. The partial sentence had merely lamented that they had 'lost the great weapon when...'

And that little anecdote cross referenced with an intercepted report from 1973 that had never made sense before, had launched a full-scale investigation that culminated into the team systematically moving through the hidden soviet base searching for clues of this fabled weapon. It was likely no connection existed between the two pieces of intel, but they were never ones to deal in the realm of assumptions.

CHAPTER ONE

Steve Rogers slipped down the lonely passage, haunting the stone wall. The air was dank and acrid this deep below the earth, the taste foul on the back of his tongue. From his ear bud he listened to the whispered 'all clears' from the various agents as they moved systematically through the labyrinth of underground tunnels and bunkers.

Romanoff's velvety voice announced that level 15 had been fully cleared. Steve bit back a smirk at the hint of annoyance that flavored her tone sour. It was no secret… none of them wanted to be there. A few random scratchings in the journal of a madman should not have elicited this thorough of an investigation. But Fury was nothing if not vigilant, and he had ordered that any and every lead be checked out. And thus, they found themselves deep below the Prokletije Mountain range in a long untouched Sigurimi base in Albania.

A forgotten remnant of the soviet government, the bunker had headquartered its most radical sect. Steve had burned with anger when he happened upon a holding room untouched since presumably the late 70's. Metal torture instruments hung forgotten upon the wall, rusted and dulled by time and disuse, yet they served as a stark reminder of the wicked ways of desperate men. His troubled eyes had taken in the lonely metal table in the middle of the room, idly wondering how many had died upon it.

No, he certainly didn't want to be there. He really didn't even _need_ to be there. An abandoned base was hardly a hot zone for hostile activity, but Fury had asked that he go. It was a request by his Director, and like good soldiers are want to do, he obeyed. A small part of him knew Fury's true purpose. On the off chance they actually did find something, his commander knew he'd want to be there.

Steve swiftly continued on down the corridor. The sooner this last and deepest level was cleared, the sooner they could all go home. He longed for sweet air, and light. It was unnerving being this far below the earth, like being swallowed whole. It didn't help that the techy glasses Stark had given him cast everything in an eerie green tint. Still, he found the fact that he could see so well in the pitch dark rather impressive. Most of Stark's toys were quite extraordinary. Howard's son certainly shared his aptitude for ingenious creation. He could only wonder if the technology they had now, existed back during the war, if everything about his life might have turned out differently. He brushed the thought off like lint, unwilling to be dragged down into the dark murky muck of memories during a mission. A long year had passed since awakening and he had worked hard to come to grips with his new role in this foreign world. He had mourned and grieved to the point of exhaustion, and now, all that remained were the hot embers of a deeply suppressed anger. They lay just shy of dormant in the very bottom of his chasm like heart.

Rounding the corner, his eyes fell on an iron door at the end of a lonely hallway. It was the only door he had come across on the entire level, and for some reason the hair on the back of his neck stood up as he neared it.

Drawing closer, he realized it had no handle, no lock, and no hinges. Not so much a door as a metal wall, completely incasing whatever lay beyond, inside. A feeling of foreboding prickled down his spine. Perhaps this wouldn't be a fruitless errand after all.

"I need Unit 7 down on 16, there's some sort of metal barrier in the north corridor," Steve requested in his com.

"Copy that."

A few moments later, Unit 7 was working on cutting away the thick metal wall with the practiced precision of a well-seasoned team. Once the square outline had been cut, Steve gave a swift kick to the center and the metal cut out clattered to the stone floor behind.

Stooping low, Steve ducked through the hole in the wall, the severed edges of the metal still smoldering. Beyond the casing, the hall continued until it ended in another metal door, which stood out as a lighter shade of green against the dark stone. Making his way to it, he wasn't surprised to find it locked. In an upwards jerk, Steve hoisted the heavy door from its hinges and pushed it aside enough to slip past.

Peering into the room he realized he was in a small holding cell with nothing but a simple cot. The moment his eyes landed on the cot, the breath was ripped from his lungs as they took in the site of a dead body curled in the fetal position. His heart began to pound at the shock as he drew closer toward the bed. The green tint cast everything in distorted and ghastly shades, and the renewed sense of foreboding sat heavy on his chest, constricting his lungs.

"Steve, everything alright?" he heard Agent Hill from command in his ear. She would have noticed the spike in his heart rate on her monitor. He made no answer as he edged closer to the body. He felt an acute uneasiness, and it took a few moments for his mind to realize why. Everything was wrong.

Instead of a skeleton, he soon realized pale skin was stretched over the bones, and a mop of filthy light colored hair covered the skull. Steve pulled out the LED puck light from his belt and switched it on. The room was instantly illuminated in a crisp blinding electric light, and the glasses automatically adjusted to clear. Steve wasn't quite sure what he was looking at.

The body hadn't decomposed. In the clear light, he saw that the dirty hair was blonde, the baggy shift dress covering the skeleton was brown, and the skin stretched so thinly across the bones was nearly a translucent white. The body's back was to him, and he shuddered as he reached out to pull it onto it's back. His mind flooded with grotesque images of whey he might see.

He swallowed hard, and pulled on the shoulder until the body slumped unceremoniously onto its back. Steve jumped back slightly and cursed himself for his raw nerves as they sent a staggering shudder through him.

It was a woman.

Much like the arms and legs exposed, the skin on her face was stretched thin over her skull. He'd never forget the deep hollows that caused her cheekbones to jut from her face, or the thin shrivled lips pursed over her closed mouth. Her eyes were shut, and long lashes nearly covered the deep purple rings under her eyes. Steve was just about to request the med team when his heart stopped.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Steve could hear nothing but the rush of blood in his own ears as his heart exploded in irrational fear.

She just stared at him. Her eyes too focused to suggest that she was dead. He noticed now the minimal rise of her chest as she took small shallow breaths. She was very much alive.

"I need a med team down here, now!" Steve barked into his com as he instantly stepped forward towards the woman ignoring her horrifying state of complete emaciation as honed instinct took over.

"Ma'am? Ma'am, are you all right? Can you understand me?" Steve asked gently, as he slowly kneeled down beside her. Her eyes followed his motions, but he noticed that she seemed to have neither the strength nor the will to turn her head towards him. Her clear eyes appeared cognizant of him, and this was confirmed as one single tear pooled and slipped out of the corner of her eye. It trailed across the hollow of her cheek before dropping into her matted hair. Her eyes glittered in what could only be described as long suffering relief and Steve's heart clenched. How long had she been down here? "Ma'am, I'm going to get you out of here, you're safe now," Steve promised, looking into her cloudy gray-mint green eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached out and gently scooped her into his arms, careful to cradle her head. She couldn't have weighed more than 40 pounds. He held her like she was an eggshell, and gently moved towards the door taking the utmost care not to jar her. He would have to hand her through the hole in the wall carefully.

And then it happened all at once.

The sleeve of his uniform pulled up as he tried to adjust her in his arms, and as his skin connected with the skin of her leg it was as if time suddenly stopped. She instantly felt so heavy in his arms that he buckled under the crushing weight, dropping them both to the floor as if they were being pulled under water. Unsure of what was happening, he tried his best to roll back so that he wouldn't crush her as they fell. His heart seemed to slow, and the pounding in his ear lessened to a sporadic, unnatural beat. The exponential weight was becoming too much, and his brain and heart both felt like they were imploding. He sucked in a long staggering breath trying to access the situation, when all at once, it stopped.

He found himself on his knees, and looked down to make sure the woman was alright. What his eyes found as they glanced at her caused his blood to run cold.

She was changing.

Right before his eyes, he watched, as the deathly pale skin seemed to thicken. The hollows filled in, her lips slowly plumped and reddened into a deep pink hue. The dark circles under her eyes faded to reveal flawless porcelain skin of ideal youth. The apples of her cheeks took on a rosy color as if they'd seen sun. He watched as her arms and legs seemed to fill out slightly, muscle growing upon the bones. He looked back into her eyes, which were focused on nothing but him. She didn't seem to even notice the changes in her body.

"Steve?" He heard Tony's voice in his ear, it was thick with trepidation. Suddenly, Steve remembered that his glasses transmitted all that he saw back to the screens in command.

"Please tell me you're seeing this…" Steve breathed as he continued to stare into the mercury, sea glass eyes of the young woman in his arms.

"Captain," It was Fury in his ear now, "Put it down… and step away," his director spoke slowly, his voice laden with equal measures alarm and authority. Steve was about to do exactly that, when he felt her cautiously shift in his arms. She gently and slowly untangled her self from him, and scooted away to the corner until her back met with the rough of the stonewall. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she hid behind them, peering at him over her knobby kneecaps anxiously. Their eyes collided and an eternity passed. Steve was too shocked to realize that he didn't have the strength to get up.

Suddenly, the door was blown aside, and three agents in black combat regalia burst into the room. Two trained their weapons on the woman, and the third jerked the stunned and thoroughly weakened Captain to his feet. The girl buried her face into the apex of her knees and braced herself for the shot that wouldn't come.

To Be Cont.

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

She hadn't said a single word. Twenty-six hours had passed since she was handcuffed and brought to command, and in all that time she hadn't made a single 'peep'. Sitting perched upon the metal chair in the blaringly white interrogation room, she drew her knees up and clasped her shackled hands together on the table. A plate of cold food lay untouched in the very spot the agent had left it hours before.

She had complied with every command that had been asked of her with out a word. She had allowed the nurse to bath and dress her in the oversized standard issue SHEILD sweatpants and t-shirt. Her thin arms hung limply at her sides, and she had avoided eye contact with everyone. After the doctor had completed a thorough examination, taken a blood sample and ran a few tests, she was escorted to the room she now found herself in.

Beyond the two way mirror that made up the south wall, six pairs of eyes were trained on the girl. But one set in particular could have burned a hole in her head. Steve couldn't take his eyes away as question upon burning question threatened to drown him in his own mind.

He was weak. She had done something to him, though the multitude of tests conducted earlier in the day could not quite decipher what. He wasn't used to feeling physically exhausted, and it didn't sit well with him. The only thing that made any sense was that she had somehow sucked away his strength. He was winded just from walking from the sickbay. His only consolation was that it seemed to be wearing off. Hours before he couldn't even stand on his own.

Watching from behind the glass, they all shifted their gaze as the door opened to the girl's holding room and Nick Furry blazed in.

"Time for the show…" Tony sighed, leaning back in his chair. They watched Fury sit down in the chair opposite the young woman. He sat back, squaring his shoulders, sitting casually as though he was quite in his element. Steve mused that perhaps he was. The man in black just stared at her. She lifted her eyes to his briefly before glancing back down to her clasped hands. Her shoulders were slumped in and she looked truly pitiful in the oversized clothing, almost like a child.

"My name is Nick Fury, and I have some questions that you are going to answer," his strong voice left no room for argument. She lifted her large almond shaped eyes up to his once again, and to all of their surprise, made a simple head nod of acknowledgment.

"God, she looks like a painted doll," Natasha whispered to his left, shaking her head from side to side. Steve looked at her briefly and then back at the girl. A truer characterization could never be uttered. Blonde hair with an unnatural loose curl spilled to her lower back. Thick, long lashes looked unnaturally dark against her fair features. Her skin was like that of an infant, flawless like porcelain. Her raspberry lips where shaped in a prominent cupid's bow. She was petite, likely no higher than 5 foot, which added all the more to her child like air. If not for the slight womanly curves, she could have passed for ten. Steve watched as she dropped her feet back down, and noticed how only the tips of her socked toes touched the ground. Finally, after another long pause, Fury began his interrogation,

"What is your name?"

She seemed to implode in on herself under just the one simple question. Worrying her bottom lip, she made a nearly imperceptible shrug. Fury scowled, but moved on with every intention of circling back repeatedly to anything she refused to answer.

"How long were you in that cell?"

The girl sucked in a deep shuddering breath that shook her slight frame. Her eyes fluttered up to her interrogators, and in a small voice, but clear voice asked,

"What year is it?"

"Today is March 9th, 2013," Fury's deep voice filled the room. The girl began to shake her head in disbelief.

"Then… forty-three years," her voice sounded so defeated, and Bruce sucked in a long breath on the other side of Steve. He was one familiar with lonely exile.

"Is this the first human interaction you've had since then?" The young woman made a small nod.

"How old are you?" Fury demanded. She looked up at him through her lashes and whispered,

"I don't think you'll believe me…" she sighed with a mirthless quirk to the corner of her mouth.

"Try me," Furry pressed.

"Well… I… I do not really age like you…" her voice trailed off as she drew her arms to her chest, wrapping them around herself as best she could despite the restricting handcuffs.

"I should say not." Fury's voice held no humor. "When were you born? Were you born?"

"Born? That's not really the word I'd use."

The admission hung heavy in the air, and the mounting unease intensified.

"What are you?" Fury whispered, leaning forward.

"That's not something I'm willing to divulge… for now." Her voice was calm with edge of an unknown authority.

Leaning back, Fury sighed. He knew a dead end when he saw it. Upping the ante he cut right to the heart of it,

"What do you know of Hydra?"

The girl's head snapped up at this, eyes wide and terrified. "Are you one of them?" her voice was breathless and Steve's fists clenched involuntarily at his side.

"No," Fury made sure she was looking him in they eye before he continued, "We are an organization that has always worked to stop them, and those like them. Now, tell me your connection to Hydra?"

"I do not wish to speak of that…" tears sprang to her eyes and she pulled her knees up to her chest on the chair. All could see that she had begun to shake.

"Well, as it happens, that's exactly what I want to talk about," Fury's voice held no trace of compassion for her obvious discomfort.

Steve's nerves grated at this, not wishing to see any woman in duress despite the lingering animosity of what she had done to him.

"Does the term, _sterne des todes_ mean anything to you." Fury powered on.

The girl slowly closed her eyes, but remained silent.

"You realize I can take certain measures to make you talk."

"Are you going to hurt me?" There was an edge to her voice, a note laced with warning.

"Is that usually how these interviews go for you?"

She remained silent. It was as if Steve saw the wheels turning in her head. The turmoil behind her beautiful eyes as she debated on whether or not to answer. Finally, the young girl nodded, her chin trembling.

"Yes… that is one of the names they called me."

Nick Furry fixed a serious eye on the girl before him, "Are you a star of death?"

"No… they thought," She sucked in a long breath, "They thought I was more than what I am."

"And just what exactly is it that you are?" Fury asked again.

"I already stated that I wouldn't answer that, " Lifting her chin defiantly in an unnatural show of strength, the girl made a promise, "I have an idea of why you found me, but you should know right now, that I _will not_ hurt people for you," tears sprang to her eyes as her voice shook over the words, "You should also know, that I cannot die. So if such is your design, you might as well save yourself the bother and burry me back in the ground."

"But you see, Miss," Fury's tone held no compassion, "I couldn't possibly believe that, as you've already hurt people. One of my best, in fact. Would you care to explain what you did to my Captain?" Fury's voice was steel. Behind the glass, Steve's tired muscles tensed and he leaned in, waiting on paused breath for her answer.

"I will answer that… but first…"

"No," Fury leaned forward causing the young woman to retreat back, "You," He pointed a gloved finger at her, his tone menacing, "are _not_ in a position to negotiate."

She sucked in a deep breath, and wouldn't meet his eyes as she said quietly, "You have a need for answers to your questions, I have some of those answers," She finally met his eyes, "by the very nature of the word, Nick Fury, I am in a prime position to negotiate."

Fury sat back and crossed his arms. The hot tension pouring from the man across from her was palpable. Behind him, Steve heard Stark let out a surprised whistle. It drove him nearly insane they way Howard's spawn was enjoying this.

Fury was fixing the young woman with an icy glare as he considered carefully his next words. In the end, the cautious consideration was futile as her next words surprised him greatly,

"He's not normal is he?" She whispered. Fury's brows sharpened in at her question.

"I beg your pardon?" Fury spat, knowing full well what she was referring to.

"The… the man that found me…" From behind the glass, Steve's jaw clenched.

"Why do you say that?" Fury neither confirmed nor denied.

"I've never… felt someone with, with so… _much_."

"So much what?" Fury's mask slipped as his insatiable curiosity shown through.

"He's a good man." She stated it like truth. Fury's brow rose. "I'd like to see him." She deflected. "That's what I was going to say…. Only for a moment."

"Why? Need a recharge?" Fury spat. The girl visibly winced at his tone.

"I need to tell him something. It's very important."

"I'll give him your message…" Fury replied, his tone resolute.

"No, it has to be in person, it has to be." Her tone was begging, "I'll tell you anything you want, I won't fight your tests either. Let me see him, and I'll answer anything."

"And what if he doesn't want to see you?"

"You strike me as someone who can be very convincing. Don't you want your answers, Nick Fury?" Her tone once again held that warning tone.

"I'll see her," Steve said to Maria behind him. Agent Hill communicated this to Fury's ear bud.

Fury abruptly got up and left the room. A moment later he entered the observation room. Steve immediately stood, his purpose clear, but with a wave of his director's hand, he stopped.

"No, I want her to sit in there a few hours first." Fury stated, walking over to Agent Hill.

"Is that really necessary?" Steve bit, his own curiosity at why she wanted to see him eating him alive.

"Yes." Fury stated, fixing him with a somber look, before returning to quiet whispers with Hill.

XXXXXXXX

Three Hours Later.

The door to the holding cell slid open, and Steve stepped in. The young woman had laid her head down on the table hours before, and jerked upright at the noise.

Steve frowned at the untouched plate, "Not hungry?"

She nodded 'no' but made no attempt to speak. Steve sat down in the chair across from her and folded his tired arms across his chest. The silence loomed as the two just stared at each other.

It was phenomenal the physical change in her features from when he first laid eyes on her. First the picture of death, and now the very embodiment of youth and beauty. Something about this sat ill at ease in the pit of his stomach.

Steve felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as she continued to look at him. It felt as if she was stripping him bare with her steady gaze, and when the mounting tension became too much he blurted, "Well, Ma'am, you wanted to see me…"

He had spent the last few hours contemplating what she could possibly want to speak to him about, but none of his imagined conversations prepared him for her words,

"I wanted to apologize," she sighed, "You caught me off guard. I assumed you were a regular human… the amount I meant to take… you wouldn't have even noticed it." She cast her eyes to the floor, "But I wasn't prepared, for… for how much you have. It overwhelmed me… I couldn't break the connection quick enough." She sucked in a steading breath, "I didn't mean to harm you."

"How much _what_?" Steve asked, his heart slamming against his rib cage.

"I've never been quite sure what to call it." She looked off to the side, her eyes becoming unfocused. "I suppose you'd call it…" she sucked in a breath, "Life…Life in energy form." She amended.

Steve's eyes widened at this, unprepared to grasp her admission.

"Look," she fixed her eyes upon him, "I know what it means to have something perpetrated against your will, without your permission," Steve's mind immediately flew to Hydra, and the image of her corpse like body flashed in his mind, "It is," she continued, "A truly vile and demoralizing thing."

"Then why did you do it?" The edge in Steve's voice revealed to all, this was the only reason he had agreed to see her. He needed this answer.

"I, I needed it." Steve remembered how she couldn't even move her head. She took in a shuddering breath, fixing her eyes on her hands. Her voice suddenly sounded so small as she admitted, "I just can't stand being helpless."

Of all the reasons she could have given, she picked the very one that Steve could never begrudge her.

XXXXXXXXXX

In the early hours of the morning, long after the human, Steve Rogers had left. The young woman lifted her head once again to greet Nick Furry as he entered the holding cell.

Taking the seat opposite her, he dispensed with formalities and got right to the chase. Throwing the printed lab results down on the table, "You're results came back." She sat up a bit straighter, giving the man her full attention, "It's clear you aren't human," his tone was accusatory.

"No… I'm not." She stated simply. This admission seemed to ignite a quite rage behind Fury's eyes, though nothing in his demeanor gave it away.

"You, realize, we're the good guys." Fury breathed, pinching the bridge of his nose. As if this statement alone would cause her to divulge every one of her secrets.

"I've heard that before…. In my experience, " she fixed her eyes upon him, "There are only varying levels of terrible men, all of whom are convinced their the good ones. You'd be hard pressed to persuade me you are something different."

"So, how does that account for Steve?" Fury threw back at her.

"Do not fear, Nick Fury. Given enough time, you will make him bad, too." Her tone was a promise, but her voice shook with reluctance.

Fury stood, scowling at the young woman, "Some men are incorruptible." He spat at her.

"No man is incorruptible." She glared at him, her voice strong, "This is a lesson you've learned before. I can see the story in your eyes. You don't strike me as someone that would be so naïve."

Fury's brow hardened as his heart exploded in raw fear.

"Do not place your faith in faulty gods. You, Nick Fury, will _destroy_ him."

To be cont.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts- thank you for reading!


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